The U.S. Embassy in west Jerusalem plans to offer consular services at an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank for the first time, providing routine passport assistance Friday to American citizens in Efrat.
The embassy said a similar outreach service is planned in the coming months in the Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit, calling the services part of its "efforts to reach all Americans.”
The U.S. embassy has previously provided consular services in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities in the West Bank.
The move continues a shift in policy under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which has been far friendlier to Israeli settlements in the West Bank than past U.S. presidents.
"We welcome the historic decision by the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem to extend consular services to American citizens in Judea and Samaria,” Israel's Foreign Ministry said on X.
